Chapter 547: Which Comes First, Faith or Ability?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 547: Which Comes First, Faith or Ability?
The monastery coughed, spitting the Regressor and me out. The children, oblivious to the fact that we had nearly died, were still playing in the fields. Azzy was rolling around, her fur tangled tightly in Remme’s woolly hair. As her wool became matted, Remme let out a mournful cry.
“Maaaeh—. Who brought this dog he-ere! If you’re going to bring it, you have to take responsibili-ty!”
“Woof woof! I herd sheep! I’ll take responsibility for the sheep!”
“Biting isn’t taking responsibility! Let go-oah!”
Remme, the King of Sheep. The king of the flock that follows the shepherd.
In truth, sheep are timid and dull-witted. That’s why, since ancient times, humans have herded flocks of hundreds with just a wooden staff and a single dog. As long as the sheep could find a field full of food, they didn’t much care whether a human guided them or a dog herded them.
Perhaps because that foolishness appealed to the clergy, sheep ended up being an animal always mentioned in the holy sacraments.
I could have just ignored them and walked on, but since our paths had crossed, I figured I should at least say hello. It wasn't like the sheep and I were strangers.
“Hey, Sheep. What are you doing here?”
“Can’t you see-ee? I’m being tormented by this dog, human! Get it off me, quick! Before all my wool is ruine-ed!”
“Zzzzz.”
“Wake u-up! Your drool is matting my woo-ool!”
Remme struggled, shifting her body, but she couldn't dislodge Azzy, who was stuck fast to her wool.
Wolves are the natural enemy of sheep, and dogs are their guides. Their jobs are opposites, but they share one thing in common: they both send sheep to places they don't want to go. The relationship between sheep and dogs is one of complete hierarchy.
After pulling Azzy off, I asked Remme, “No, I mean, why did you come to the monastery? There aren’t many sheep living around here.”
“To receive service-eh!”
Remme said, trying to fluff up the spot Azzy had licked.
“I ha-ave soft, fluffy wool! But when the wind blows, or it gets wet, or dirt gets on it, my wool gets all matted and stuffy-y!”
Remme fiddled with her wool. Even as a Beast King, she couldn't groom her own coat. Her small hands couldn't even reach all of her thick, white hair, which cascaded down past her knees.
“So I go around searching. For a human who will groom my woo-ool!”
“You came here looking for a human to groom your wool?”
“Maaaeh! That’s right! The little humans here have small, gentle hands, so they groom my wool without hurting me-ee!”
“I’m sure you could find someone to comb it well enough elsewhere.”
“Skill isn't what's important. What's important is a heart that reveres me-ee! I don't like other humans because they just roughly rub the comb on me and try to shear my woo-ool!”
“Why? Just get it shorn.”
“You can't shear it! Humans just try to rip my wool ou-ut!”
The wool of the King of Sheep is both soft and tough. As a conceptual being, a Beast King with special wool, she couldn't be shorn by ordinary means. Trying to cut it with scissors would just result in the blades getting stuck.
Just then, the Regressor stepped forward and made a suggestion.
“Should I cut it for you?”
“Maaaeh? You-ou?”
“Yes. I think my Chun-aeng could cut your wool.”
“Not a chance-eh. A human blade can't cut my wool. I'm a sheep. I don't like pai-ain!”
Remme adamantly refused the Regressor’s offer. But then, the children, who had been gathering the wool that had fallen out during their combing, shyly held it out to the Regressor.
“This is wool left behind by the Apostle of the Lamb.”
“If you can cut this, we'll acknowledge you!”
“It won’t be easy! We sometimes use it to play cat’s cradle, but once it gets tangled, you can never get it undone! That’s why we have a huge pile of it in the corner of our dorm!”
The innocent children approached the Regressor without a hint of fear. It was a moment that proved fear is a learned emotion. If they knew instinctively, they would never have approached the grim-faced Regressor.
Despite her intimidating appearance, the Regressor didn't particularly dislike innocent children. She had two of them pull the wool taut, then lightly drew Chun-aeng. Ting. With nothing more than a faint sound, the lock of Remme's wool was severed.
“Wow! It cut!”
“Amazing! It wouldn’t break even when we used scissors and a saw!”
“Alright! We'll give you the chance to shear the Apostle of the Lamb!”
As the children chattered, Remme replied dubiously.
“Maaaeh—? Are you sure it's okay-ay? Fine. I'll give you a chance to cut my wool. But you only get one chance-eh! If you pull my wool, I'll headbutt you-ou!”
Remme waddled over, lifting her hair with her hands and presenting it to the Regressor. The Regressor remained unfazed, even when faced with a mass of wool so enormous you could hide a person in it.
Feeling a little anxious, I asked, “Shei-ssi, are you sure you can cut it?”
“Of course. You saw, didn’t you? Chun-aeng can cut the King of Sheep’s wool.”
“No, not that. Do you even know how to cut hair? You don't seem very dexterous.”
“What are you talking about? How do you think I keep my hair trimmed while traveling? I cut my own hair, you know.”
“Ah, so that’s why your hair is…”
“How about I shave you bald?”
“Go ahead and cut. Remme is waiting.”
Grumbling, the Regressor compressed and heated Chun-aeng. The shimmering blade glided smoothly through Remme’s hair.
Snip, snip. She gathered the wool with Qi and sliced it off at an angle with Chun-aeng. Clumps of Remme’s wool fell away. Each clump seemed to contain more hair than an average person’s entire head, but even after dozens of cuts, there was no end in sight.
There was something captivating about the pure white hair falling like snow. I, Azzy, and the other children watched the scene, mesmerized.
But Remme, the one receiving the service, showed no gratitude and smacked her lips. She fidgeted and said, “Maaaeh. I'm bore-ed. You lot, bring me some grass to che-ew.”
Her attitude was that of a master. It seemed I wasn't the only one who found her arrogant. Azzy, who had been watching, suddenly barked at Remme.
“Woof woof! Stop!”
“Maaaeh!”
“Don’t move! You’ll get hurt! You and the human!”
“Ma-maaaeh… Just nibbling some grass is fine, isn't it…?”
Slightly frightened, Remme glanced around nervously and quietly folded her hands. In any case, thanks to Azzy, the haircutting process went much more smoothly. After nearly an hour of shearing, the Regressor used the heated Chun-aeng to curl the ends of Remme’s hair, then dusted off her hands.
“Hm. How’s that? I did a pretty good job, right?”
It would have been a lie to say no; the Regressor’s skill was considerable. Not only was the cut neat, but the impromptu flair she added by curling the ends was something impossible without a certain sense and aesthetic taste.
Remme, who had been buried under a mess of wool, was now a beautiful young girl with lovely long hair. The children marveled at her completely transformed appearance.
“Woooow! She’s pretty!”
“The Apostle of the Lamb is so much cleaner and prettier!”
“I liked the fluffy Apostle of the Lamb, but she looks much more comfortable now!”
Remme herself, however, seemed unimpressed and was cautiously watching Azzy. I suppose one couldn't expect a sheep to have an aesthetic sense. At best, she might have felt a little less stuffy.
The Regressor brushed off the remaining strands of wool with a confident voice.
“There, see?”
“When did you learn a skill like this?”
“I told you. I used to cut my own hair while traveling alone.”
‘I wanted to look at least somewhat human, so I put a lot of thought into cutting my hair. That’s why. Thanks to my Seven Colored Eyes, I could even see the back of my own head.’
I thought she didn't care about that sort of thing at all… but no, that's not right. Looking at cases like the Bountiful Table or Rene's Pocket, she was actually quite meticulous about her own body and environment. Well, it’s always better to take care of things if you can.
“And… the Saintess’s Blessing made it easier.”
“What? The Saintess’s Blessing? What does that have to do with this?”
“Huh? You don’t know? It’s the Saintess’s Blessing.”
“What effect does the Saintess’s Blessing have? I don’t feel any particular power from it.”
“Heh. So there are things you don’t know, huh? Then again, when would you have ever received a blessing?”
Perhaps because of her success in shearing the sheep, the Regressor’s tone was slightly boastful.
“The Saintess's Blessing differs depending on the power each one holds. The Saintess of Steel grants the power to realize one's will, and the Saintess of Causality grants the knowledge to find what one desires. The Saintess of the Sun illuminates the path ahead. And the Saintess of the Sky... she grants good fortune.”
“Good fortune?”
“Yes. Whatever you do turns out well, and even if an obstacle appears before you, a way to easily overcome it emerges. A fortunate encounter might fall into your lap without you even realizing it. While the other Saintesses’ blessings are definite but somewhat limited, the one from the Saintess of the Sky is much more vague and wide-ranging. Like the Goddess of Fortune.”
Fortune? What fortune? Luck exists, but in the end, it’s just a matter of probability.
“Look at today. It’s a small thing, but when I cut the King of Sheep’s wool, there were barely any stray hairs left. I only learned by watching others, so my skills aren't that great. The fact that it turned out this well is thanks to that blessing.”
“There’s no way… Cutting hair is just your own ability.”
“Hey, you’re flattering me.”
“It’s not a compliment, it’s just strange that you believe in the Saintess’s Blessing, Shei-ssi. It's not like you're in some cult. You believe something you did with your own hands was because of a Saintess's Blessing?”
I couldn't say the Saintess's Blessing had no power at all. They did, in fact, have the ability to see the future. But attributing the results of one's own actions to a blessing was even stranger.
“And think about it. If the blessing is so great, why would it help with something as trivial as cutting Remme’s wool? That’s just a pastime.”
“Who knows? Maybe this neatly cut wool from the Sheep King will come in handy.”
“What would you even use wool for when you’re not going to make cloth out of it right now… Besides, the order from the Saintess of the Sky was to defeat an ancient evil, wasn’t it? No matter how precious that wool is, I doubt it’s going to help stop an ancient evil. Are you planning to give it to someone as a gift?”
“There’s no harm in keeping it. And it might just become a gift for someone.”
“What? A gift? In this monastery, where Remme’s wool is everywhere?”
What’s more, this was the untamed lands, untouched by civilization. Even if we tried to sell it, there would be no buyers. Was she planning to barter with the barbarians? Well, in that sense, it might be useful, but it’s not like they would have anything of value to trade.
It was then.
“Hello! Is the Sister here?”
Someone’s booming voice echoed through the air. It was so loud that the sheep, the children, and even Remme jumped in surprise.
In the civilized world, causing a commotion at someone else’s home is considered an intrusion. But in this savage world, it was different. A barking dog doesn’t bite, and threats always approach without a sound. Announcing one’s presence was, conversely, a sign of friendship.
“You are an Earthener.”
Yegcheria, her face once again covered by a veil, came out to greet the large, brown-skinned man.
“All beings under the sky are children of the Sky God, but not all children are deeply filial. I have heard that you Earthener brothers do not serve the Sky God, but revere Mother Earth instead. As a servant of the Sky God, I welcome all visitors, but are you certain it is alright for us to continue this meeting?”
The Eartheners. An undying race whose bodies had absorbed the properties of earth, becoming like clay. They were also the natives of Manguo, and they followed a slightly different faith, a variation on the concept of Mother Earth.
That was why there was only one monastery in this vast, untamed land. For in this land overflowing with life, there are weeds that cannot be uprooted even by the winds of the Sky God.
However, this particular Earthener seemed a bit more enlightened, showing respect even to the nun.
“That’s right! I came here specifically to meet you, Sister!”
Yegcheria welcomed the Undying man with her arms wide open.
“Welcome! Even in this distant land of savagery and heresy, the seeds of faith, carried on the wind, are bound to take root! I, Yegcheria, sincerely welcome your repentance, brother!”
“Haha. I don’t particularly plan on believing in the Sky God, though!”
“No matter, that is fine! Simply coming here is a wonderfully hopeful event! For now, how about you start by reading the holy scriptures?”
“No, really, that’s not it. I just came to receive that… what was it called? A sacrament? That’s all I came for!”
“A sacrament, you say?”
“Yes. The Sacrament of Matrimony, I think it was. I heard that in the lands up north, people receive a priest’s blessing when they marry. My bride-to-be is from a faraway place, and I wanted to follow her ways if possible!”
The Undying man laughed heartily as he explained his situation. He had brought a woman from a distant land to marry, but their village customs were so different that it was causing some conflict. He said that, to avoid any gossip, he wanted to receive the sacrament from the ‘Monastery of Blood’.
He intended to use the holy sacrament as a means to an end, but Yegcheria didn't care about such trivial motives. On the contrary, she seemed even more delighted, clasping her hands in joy.
“Ah…! This must be true repentance through love! I have not yet met the sister, but she must be a truly faithful person! I understand. I will prepare to bless this holy union at any time!”
“Mm. Thank you! I’ve brought some hides and meat, so I’ll, uh, what was it? I’ll make a donation!”
“Your offering is gratefully accepted!”
“And, this is a bit of an awkward request, but could you give me a token to prove that this monastery has promised the sacrament? It feels a bit strange to go back empty-handed.”
“Of course. As it happens…”
Yegcheria smiled broadly and looked our way. The children, who were neatly stacking Remme’s hair, met the nun’s gaze.
“We’ve just acquired some sheep’s wool that would make a fine token.”
And in that moment, I felt a chilling sensation.
Discomfort, is that the right word? It felt like gambling in a meticulously rigged game. A feeling of dancing when the cards I would draw, and the cards that would appear, were already decided.
The world was clicking into place in a strange way. In the savage world, wool and hides were necessities and assets. They were incomparably precious. If it was the wool of the King of Sheep, there was no need for comparison. Just carrying that would earn one treatment as an honored guest.
Such a perfect opportunity presents itself right away? As if to show off?
No, it can’t be. It must be a coincidence…
…is what I wanted to say, but.
“Hughes.”
“You noticed too, Shei-ssi?”
“Yes. I know. That undying man…”
Like me, the Regressor recognized the Undying man’s identity and was overcome with a strange feeling. It was too odd to be dismissed as a mere coincidence, yet too incomprehensible to be attributed to the Saintess’s Blessing…
“Huh? Teacher. And Boy! It’s been a while! What a coincidence, meeting you here of all places!”
Rasch, the Undying, a fellow trainee from Tantalus, recognized the Regressor and me and waved his hand enthusiastically.